Just Ask Ancient Egypt

And so I will greatly punish Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD.” [Ezekiel 30.19]

As much as mankind wants to deny or ignore God, He is unavoidable.

God's people today find it easy to attribute a beautiful landscape filled with good things to God, but struggle to see Him in a complete disaster.

As a person begins to know God - really know the Most High God of the Bible, that person recognizes Him as the God of blessing AND the God of curses. God's holy character (holiness) is on display in a beautiful sunset AND in a devastating earthquake. This character of God is established.

While it may be a struggle to see any consistency in God if at once He blesses people, then at once He curses people, to really know God however, one understands that it is not God Who is inconsistent, but man. God's character of holiness is unchanged. Holiness rewards obedience with blessings and rewards disobedience with curses (see Deuteronomy 28). In this, God's character of holiness is both consistent and even predictable.

Man, on the other hand, swings from obedience to disobedience with very little persuasion. While man fluctuates between good and evil, God remains consistently holy. In this way, blessings upon obedience and curses upon disobedience should NEVER EVER be confused; God's holiness is the definitive and consistent litmus test for man's heart and actions.

Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. [Proverbs 26.2]

Is it any wonder that the great deceiver, Satan, would try to confuse man on the issue of good and evil?

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. [Isaiah 5.20]

Without firmly understanding that blessings follow obedience and curses follow disobedience EVERY TIME because God is holy, man's sorrow is immeasurable. 

God's holiness, demonstrated through blessings, calls for the worship of thanksgiving and praise. God's holiness, demonstrated through curses, calls for the worship of repentance. A true believer in God does not argue with God regarding blessings or curses, but rather, worships God either way. 

He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!” In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God. [Job 1-21-22]

God decides what is right or wrong, good or evil.

In the present condition of mankind and the earth from a Biblical perspective, it might be argued that man should be repenting all the time. Most people take issue with this. Let me re-phrase that: most people proudly take issue with this. The pride of man exalts itself against the very Word of God denying that curses are justified indicators of the need for repentance. While religion may indeed present all kinds of work-arounds for this Biblically established fact, religion will burn in hell because God's holiness is not to be trifled with. Just ask ancient Egypt.

For everyone bursting at the seams right now to say, "Yeah, but Jesus!" let us be Biblically clear:

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” [Galatians 3.13]

There is a "catch" however... Jesus' work on the cross only belongs to those who "believe."

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. [John 3.16]

"Believing" in Jesus means following Jesus:

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24]

"Our own way" is the way of self-preservation, self-love, self-promotion, etcetera. Everything that has anything to do with this focus on "self" is an idol and God will not tolerate idols. By "not tolerate" it means that God's holiness rewards idolatry with curses. Jesus' call for would-be followers to give up their own way is the 2.0 version of God's 2nd Commandment. 

Belief in Jesus is obedience to God. Disbelief in Jesus is disobedience to God - Jesus described this as the default condition of man:

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. [John 3.18]

In plain language, curses, as the reward for every disobedience, are the standing work of God's holiness upon every "unbeliever" but ONLY upon "unbelievers" (remember, Christ has rescued believers from the curse pronounced by the law...). We do well to understand this contrast!

So, why do bad things happen to "believers"? Because, regardless how good they are estimated to be, there is need for repentance. Religion will not teach this! But, God's Word does! Jesus put the whole "good person" idea in the trash:

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. [Mark 10.18 (& Luke 18.19)]

What would be wrong if God's people constantly repented? Would that not put them in a perpetual state of humility? Is not humility the very essence of selfless living? Is not selfless living what Jesus called every would-be follower to (to give up your own way, take up your cross...)? Religion, at this point, changes the subject... and how many souls have been damned to hell because of it?

All the hardships of life we experience (curses for disobedience) that we remediate with our idols of finance, insurance, medicine, technology, and yes, even religion are God's call to repentance. They are God's call for us to intentionally trust ONLY in Him - giving up our own way (which is the essence of repentance), taking up our cross, and following Jesus - to KNOW that HE IS THE LORD!

And so I will greatly punish Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD.” [Ezekiel 30.19]

I may be wrong, but God's Word is not wrong. Please, dear reader, be sure of God's Word regardless what I say!

Father, may Your truth shine bright in these days in which we live. Darkness has been embraced by much of the world, the "fields are white unto harvest..." Send Your Word out today - may it cast Your Light upon the gross idolatry of our day including the idolatry of religion! May Your true followers be found giving up their own way, taking up their cross, and following Jesus... unmistakably, undeniably following Jesus. So be it.

What Do You Believe, Really?

Deuteronomy 28. Read it.

From yesterday's One Year Chronological Bible reading came the following insight into curses...

“If someone has committed a crime worthy of death and is executed and hung on a tree, the body must not remain hanging from the tree overnight. You must bury the body that same day, for anyone who is hung is cursed in the sight of God. In this way, you will prevent the defilement of the land the LORD your God is giving you as your special possession. [Deuteronomy 21.22-23]

The verse above is undoubtedly the passage referred to in the following popular verse:

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” [Galatians 3.13] 

So, if a person is TRULY in Christ and redeemed from the curse of the law, how does he explain why he still experiences any or all of the curses described in Deuteronomy 28 (and not the blessings)? What do you believe, really?

What follows the question posed above is always a torrent of confusing and confounding religious nonsense. Few if any are willing to admit that the Bible's clear indicators of blessings or curses are, in fact, indicators of obedience or disobedience respectively in the Old Testament - and indicators of faith or unbelief respectively in the New Testament!

Just holding each others' hands and singing Kumbaya doesn't save anyone. In fact, without faith, it is impossible to please God. Without faith, it is impossible to enter heaven. Without faith, a person is not saved.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. [Ephesians 2.8]

Faith is not something God gave us to abstractly mitigate trials and tribulations! God gave faith to move mountains, to change circumstances miraculously, OR to dive headlong into circumstances fearlessly accepting death as Jesus did on the Cross (see Hebrews 11). Yes, faith is not always living, but sometimes it is dying in refusal to accept the world's mitigation of circumstances (not my words, read all of Hebrews 11)!

The Church's widespread and abstract view of blessings and curses (mostly its pathetic mitigation of curses coupled with unashamed embrace of the world's solutions of debt, insurance, medicine and technology) renders it "without testimony" in the world today as it pertains to the stark contrast of blessings and curses presented in the Bible.

Is it any wonder Jesus said:

But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. [Matthew 7.14]

I think most Christians believe Jesus was only kidding when He said this. But He wasn't!

Father, You gave very clear indicators to us to determine our standing with You. Forgive me for ignoring those indicators. Forgive me for feeding my unbelief with worldly solutions instead of feeding my faith with Your Word - even if it costs me my life... So be it.

Why More Curses Than Blessings?

Deuteronomy 28

Why is it that, in Deuteronomy 28, there are so many more curses for disobedience than there are blessings for obedience?

For one thing, blessings are often overlooked. Most people do not fully recognize blessings until they are taken away. It is then, when curses come into view, that blessings may be contrasted and therefore seen.

In fact, the opposite of, or absence of, every curse is a blessing! 

The opposite of the curse of sickness is health.

The opposite of the curse of slavery is freedom.

the opposite of the curse of poverty is wealth.

The opposite of the curse of failure in everything is success in everything.

The opposite of the curse of loss is gain.

The opposite of the curse of oppression is peace.

The reason there are so many more curses defined than blessings could very possibly be because we need to understand that curses, by nature, are overwhelming.

Rarely does a person of normal health think about and appreciate every single breath he or she breathes. But take that breath away or diminish it greatly and then see what becomes important!

That's what curses do - by nature, they go for the obvious blessings in our life, but they also go for the less recognized blessings in our lives. That's what makes curses so terrifying - there are no boundaries. Curses are so bad that they cause people to eat their own children!

It is almost as if, there are many reasons to obey God and be blessed, however, there are many more reasons not to disobey God and be cursed.

But there is more to it. Another reason curses are so well-defined (compared to blessings) is because God knew a day would come when people became confused about what was a blessing and what was a curse. That day is today.

By the standards of Deuteronomy 28, a great many folks today are accustomed to lives of curses. Just in the realm of health alone, people live in curses instead of blessings. Unfortunately, many misguided doctrines of the Church have made this acceptable and, in some cases, have even glorified it. These curses are described as clear as day in Deuteronomy 28 and yet people still do not understand these curses' "call to repentance" for the reversal of their imposition.

Now, before going all "that's Old Testament..." on me, consider Galatians 3.13:

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” [Galatians 3.13]

God has only one intention for curses on anyone's life: to bring them to repentance and faith in Christ... and, therefore, into every blessing for obedience described in Deuteronomy 28 (like it is in heaven)!

God gives us plenty of reason to obey Him. But, knowing our bent on sin, God gave us many more reasons NOT to disobey Him! He's good like that! He knows what speaks to us and what we pay attention to!

Father, thank You for being so detailed in describing the curses for disobedience - so that in my thick-headed understanding I might 'get it' that the curses really are bad... and to be avoided!

Faith Requires Obedience

Deuteronomy 28

If there is something I can glean from reading Deuteronomy 28 today, it is that God's character rewards obedience and very much opposes disobedience.

I am sure the discussions and arguments about Old Covenant / New Covenant are not soon to end, but this fact about God's character should be retained throughout. Whether one is more inclined to strictly obey Old Covenant laws or has found the freedom of New Testament faith, the starting point is obedience! God's character requires obedience across all time.

Yes, faith requires obedience.

What is the obedience of faith? It is Kingdom work. It is the work we witnessed Jesus do on earth. It is living and working in the earthly realm by heavenly Kingdom principles. It is the life of Christ being perpetuated post-resurrection and ascension through our lives. The obedience of faith is not "seeing" but believing. It is acting like our Father in heaven Who calls things that are not as though they were. It is telling mountains to move. It is bringing salvation in their place. It is denying worldly, earthly facts in the name of Truth. It is risking all that is seen to obey that which is not seen.

You see, faith is not just a convenience - it is a requirement - for by grace are you saved through faith!

Father, just as Israel had the Law in all its detail, we have faith in all its detail. There is so much to learn and live by - all to rest in faith. Thank You for Your Word that so capably initiates this process in us daily!

Obedience Is Simple

Deuteronomy 28 is pretty intense.  It spells out the blessings or curses upon Israel dependent upon whether they obey or rebel against God.

I don't know if it is significant or not, but the curses takes much more 'space' in their description than do the blessings.  What's up with that?  I am not asking this question in a challenging or rebellious sort of way, but rather in a curious way - is there something we should take away from this fact?

Just processing this for a bit causes me to reflect that this is pretty true to life.  In fact, there seem to be many more laws concerning what we are not allowed to do than what we are allowed to do.

Perhaps it could be surmised that if people obey God, life is much simpler.  Frankly, in my own life, I can attest to this.

On the other hand, when people live in rebellion to God, it does occur to me that that lifestyle is much more complicated.

So maybe this is not such a mystery after all.  Disobedience carries with it the fruit of confusion, helplessness and all sorts of negative life situations that uselessly consume time and energy for nothing good in return. 

Obedience carries the fruit of peace.  Peace is not complicated or overwhelming.  Peace is simple. 

Father, I feel like You have given some insight here as to why rebellion seems to require more verbiage than obedience.  It's just like You to make Your blessings simple.  You are good - real good.